Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method that lubricates a cleaning blade in a xerographic printer.
Presently, in a typical electrostatographic printing process, a photoreceptor is charged to a substantially uniform potential so as to sensitize the surface thereof. The charged portion of the photoreceptor is exposed to a light image of an original document being reproduced. Exposure of the charged photoreceptor selectively dissipates the charges thereon in the irradiated areas. This records an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor corresponding to the informational areas contained within the original document. After the electrostatic latent image is recorded on the photoreceptor, the latent image is developed by bringing a developer material into contact therewith. Generally, the developer material comprises toner particles adhering triboelectrically to carrier granules. The toner particles are attracted from the carrier granules to the latent image, forming a toner powder image on the photoreceptor. The toner powder image is then transferred from the photoreceptor to a copy sheet. The toner particles are heated to permanently affix the powder image to the copy sheet. After each transfer process, the toner remaining on the photoconductor is cleaned by a cleaning device.
A cleaning device can use a cleaning blade to remove residual toner and other particles. Unfortunately, friction between the cleaning blade and the photoreceptor causes wear on the blade and reduced blade life. Developed toner stripes can be used to lubricate cleaning blades to increase blade life. Toner lubrication stripes are of two general types. The first type is developed when the xerographic process is cycling up or cycling out. To avoid development of carrier beads, turning on or off development bias and charging during cycle up and cycle out is sequenced to instead develop toner bands. For products dominated by short jobs followed by a cycle out, these developed toner bands can provide significant blade lubrication. The second type of toner lubrication stripe is developed at intervals that are either predetermined or determined by machine controller estimates of blade lubrication requirements based on toner usage. Blade lubrication has always been the most influential factor in increasing blade life. With the introduction of high friction photoreceptor overcoats, optimized blade lubrication is now more important not just for blade life improvement but also for maintaining acceptable blade life.
Thus, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method that lubricates a cleaning blade in a xerographic printer.